Cooling system



` Patented Oct.` 17, '1950 COOLING SYSTEM Orion Ottis Saks, Summit, N. J., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Thermal Liquids, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application September 16, 1947, Serial No. 774,377

Y 7 Claims. l

This invention relates to systems for cooling enclosures and more particularly to such systems using a particular class of chemical compounds as the heat transfer medium.

Heretofore various systems and. devices have been employed for cooling enclosures and more particularly for cooling the interior of storage containers, vehicles, refrigerator cars and the like to hold interior temperatures low enough to preserve the contents thereof during shipping. In many instances cooling is obtained by bunkering the container with ice which is an expensive and ineflicient method and one requiring frequent stops for re-icing, In other cases each vehicle or container is supplied with a separate and individually ,powered refrigerating unit. Such units are expensive to install and expensive to operate. v

I have found that by the use of a particular class of chemical compounds, the tetra-aryl ortho silicates, as the heat transfer medium `a, simple, inexpensive and most efficient system for cooling such enclosures can be devised. The tetra-aryl ortho silicates are described in the Johnston Patent #2,335,012, dated November 2,3, 1943, and are fluid at approximately 70 F. and boil in the neighborhood of 725 F. Within this wide temperature range these silicates are a most efficient heat transfer medium and may be used in the lightest and most simple structures without danger vfrom high pressures.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a novel system for cooling the interior of enclosures and particularly transportable coutainers using a particular class of chemical compound as the heat transfer medium.

Another object is to provide such a system using tetra-aryl ortho silicate as the heat transfer medium.

Another object is to provide Such `a, system which is of simple construction, light, cheap and easy to manufacture and efficient in operation.

Other and further objects of the present invention will appear from the following description.

An embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing and is described hereinafter to illustrate the same. This should in no way be .construed as defining lor limiting my invention and reference should be had to the appended claims for this purpose.

The embodiment to be described shows the system for cooling the medium as nonportable and the enclosure to be cooled as a refrigerator for a trailer-truck. It is to be expressly understood that it is within the scope of my invention to construct the cooling System as portable and to apply the same to any type of enclosure or container, portable or stationary.

In the drawing Il! is any suitable enclosure r container to be refrigerated and is provided with loading doors ll which are shown broken away adjacent their tops to show a part of the interior of the container in section. As here shown, container l0 is the tra-iler of a trailer-truck combi.- nat-ion and is supported for transportation upon rear wheels I2 and axle I3.' Arranged within container le and supported fromrits top by brackets |11 is a coolant reservoir l5 here shown as approximately the same shape as the top of the container and provided with hollow downwardly depending' side elements I6 and Il, and hollow end elements, one of which is shown at i8. The refrigerating medium or coolant, tetraearyl ortho silicate, is admitted to reservoir I5 through manually operable valve i9 and coupling 20 and is removed from reservoir I5 through manually operable valve 2l and .coupling 22, it being understood that. any suitable automatic valve or coupling may be used in the place of those illustrated.

Suitably arranged with respect to container l0, and in this Ycase positionedk so that the trailertruck can be placed along side, is any suitable absorption type refrigerating unit 23 including a conventional evaporator provided with a separate reservoir 24 for tetra-aryl ortho silicate cooled by the absorption type refrigeration unit 23, said unit 23 being provided with a conventional generator 25 where the refrigerant is vaporized for circulation in the unit 23 for ultimate use in the evaporator. Cooled tetra-aryl ortho silicate is taken from reservoir 24 by pipe 26 and circulating pump 2l and is delivered to coupling 20 and reservoir l5 through pipe 2S and manually operable valve 29, Pump 2l is driven by a suitable motor 30, driving belt 3|, and pulley 32. Tetra-aryl ortho silicate is returned from reservoir i 5 through coupling 22, manually operable Valve and pipe3l to reservoir 24.

Positioned near refrigerating unit 23 is a boiler 32 suitable for heating tetra-aryl ortho silicate. Boiler 32 may be fired by coal,'oil, gas or other suitable fuel or mayk be heated electrically. Heated tetra-aryl ortho silicate is taken from boiler 32 through pipe 33, an expansion tank 34 being provided to take care of any expansion or contraction of the tetra-aryl ortho silicate during heating and cooling. The circulating system for the heated tetra-aryl ortho silicate is preferably a closed system Yand for safety purposes should be provided with any suitable pressure and vacuum relief Valve 35 preset to open only under `abnormal conditions of pressure and vacuum. Pipe 33 connects with pipe 36 leading to one side of a circulating pump 31 driven by motor 3B through belt 38 and pulley 39. Pump 31 discharges into pipe which connects with a. thermostatically controlled valve 4l. Valve 4| is actuated in the conventional way by a bulb 42 subject to the temperatures of the cooled tetra-aryl ortho silicate in reservoir 24 ard communicating 3 therewith by tube 43. Pipe 44 leads from valve 4l to generator 25 and pipe 45 connects the return side of generator 25 to the return side of boiler 32. A by-pass pipe 46 connects from Valve 4| to return pipe 45.

With the embodiment of my invention set up as described, when it is desired to cool a container or to replenish the supply of coolant in a container, boiler 32 is fired and motor 3i! started. Heated tetra-aryl ortho silicate will be circulated through generator 25 by pump 31 and refrigerating unit 23 will be energized and the tetra-aryl ortho silicate in reservoir 24 cooled. It is Within the scope of this invention to maintain a supply of cooled tetra-aryl ortho silicate in reservoir 24 at all times by periodic or more or less continuous energization or unit 23 to meet any demands. Container i is then suitably positioned and couplings 26 and 22 are completed. Valves 29 and I9, 3U and 2i are then opened and pump 21 operated to circulate cooled tetra-aryl ortho silicate from reservoir 24 through reservoir l5 and back to reservoir 24 thus cooling the interior of container l). When the interior of container il) reaches the desired temperature valves 29, I, 3 and 2l are closed, couplings 2G and 22 are broken, and container Ill may be removed and another connected in for cooling. If the interior of container I can be kept at the desired temperature after cooling for a desired period of time without keeping reservoir I5 full of cooled tetra-aryl ortho silicate to act as a source of cold the same may be wholly or partially drained back to reservoir 24 at the option or the user before coupling 22 is broken.

Valve 4l is thermostatically controlled to prevent the tetra-aryl ortho silicate in reservoir 24 from being cooled below any desired temperature for which valve 4l is preset. When the temperature in reservoir 24 falls below that for which valve 4l is preset bulb 42 will actuate valve 4l and pipe 44 and generator 25 will be closed to the supply of heated tetra-aryl ortho silicate which will be returned through by-pass 45 to boiler 32 thus de-energizing refrigerating unit 23 and allowing the temperature in reservoir 24 to rise. When the temperature in reservoir 24 rises to that for which valve 4l is preset bulb 42 will actuate valve 4| to shut oi by-pass 46 and permit ovv of heated tetra-aryl ortho silicate through generator 25 and energization of refrigerating unit 23.

'I'he several valves, pumps, piping circuits, reslervoirs and couplings as well as the boiler and refrigerating unit may all be constructed of the 'lightest weight materials since such a system has .no pressure problems and the pumps need only circulate the tetra-aryl ortho silicate without .substantial pressures being applied.

It will now be apparent that by the present invention I have provided a novel system for cooling the interior of enclosures or transportable containers using a particular class of chemical compound, tetra-aryl ortho silicate, as the heat transfer medium, which is of simple and inexpensive construction, lightweight, easy to manufacture, and eiiicient in operation.

Changes to or modiiications of the embodiment of my invention herein described may now be suggested to those skiled in the art without departing from my inventive concept and reference should be had to the appended claims to determine the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a system of the type described including 4 a container to be cooled by an organic ortho silicate, a reservoir in the container, means for heating an organic ortho silicate, absorption type refrigerating means including an evaporator and a generator where the refrigerant is vaporized for ultimate use in the evaporator, a second reservoir containing an organic ortho silicate to' be cooled by the evaporator, a closed piping system connecting said heating means to one side of said generator to heat the same and vaporize the refrigerant and connecting the other side of said generator to the return side of said heating means, and a closed piping system connecting the second of said reservoirs to the first of said reservoirs.

2. A system as described in claim 1 in which circulating means are provided in the rst named of said closed piping systems to circulate heated organic ortho silicate therethrough and circulating means are provided in the second named of said closed piping systems to circulate cooled organic ortho silicate therethrough.

3. A system as described in claim l in which expansion and contraction compensating means for the organic ortho silicate and a vacuum and pressure relief means are provided in the rst named of said closed piping systems.

4.' A system as described in claim 1 including a thermostatically controlled valve in said first named closed piping system responsive to the temperatures in the second of said reservoirs and a by-pass leading from said thermostatically controlled valve to the return side of said heating means. v

5. In a system of the type described including a container to be cooled by an organic ortho silicate, a reservoir in the container, means for heating an organic ortho silicate, absorption type rerrigerating means including an evaporator and a generator where the refrigerant is vaporized for ultimateuse in the evaporator, a second reservoir containing an organic ortho silicate to be cooled by said evaporator, a piping system yconnecting said heating means to one side of said generator to heat the same and vaporize the refrigerant and connecting the other side of said generator to the return side of said heating means, and a piping system connecting the second of said reservoirs to the rst of said reservoirs.

6. A system as described in claim 5 in which circulating means are provided in the rst named of rsaid piping systems to circulate heated organic ortho silicate therethrough and circulating means are provided in the second of said piping systems to circulate cooled organic ortho silicate therethrough.

'7. A system as described in'claim 5 including a thermostatically controlled valve in said first named piping system responsive to the temperatures in the second of said reservoirs and a bypass leading from said thermostatically controlled valve to the return side of said heating means.

ORION oTTIs OAKS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date- 2,016,377 IIrotzer Oct. 8', 1935 2,316,792 Irwin Apr. 20, 1943 2,381,796 Williams Aug. 7, 1945 

